The discussion about the magnificent Vladimir Tiara which belongs to Queen Elizabeth II, inspired me to start this topic about royal jewels. Please post here about your favorite royal jewels.

Here's one that always takes my breath away. It is the crown of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Farah, the Shahbanou of Iran. This crown was designed by Van Cleef and Arpels for the coronation of the Shah and Shahbanou in 1967. Fifty different designs by the leading jewelers of the day were submitted to the Iranian government, and this one was chosen. Pierre Arpels had to travel to Teheran to make the crown, because the precious stones, which were part of the Crown Jewels collection, could not be taken out of Iran. Pierre Arpels also made other pieces for a magnificent parure (matching jewelery set) including tiaras, necklaces, earings etc for the empress. The Empress wore the crown with it's necklace on her coronation day (see photographs below). Other parures were created for Queen Mother Tadj Ol-Molouk, and for the Shah's sisters and daughters at the same time.

Today's royal jewels are the Parure of the Countess of Paris, also known as the Queen Marie Amalie Parure, or the Queen Hortense Parure. This Parure of Diamonds and saphires was given to Queen Hortense of Holland (Mother of Emperor Napoleon III) by her mother, Empress Josephine, ex-wife of Napoleon I. Queen Hortense had the set modified to her taste. Legends claim that the stones once belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, althought there is no proof of this. The parure was purchased from Queen Hortense by King Louis Phillipe and adjusted yet again for his wife Queen Marie Amalie. As part of the Queen's personal collection of jewels, they remained within the Orleans family after this. The wives of Louis Phillipe's lineal heirs have worn it ever since with further changes to the set being made for Isabelle Duchesse de Guise. It was aquired from the late Count of Paris in 1985 by the French State (much to the chagrin of the rest of his family), and is now part of the Crown Jewels collection at the Louvre.__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

The Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire was made by court jeweller Jeremia Posier for the Empress Catherine II's Coronation in 1762. It has two open hemispheres divided by a foliate garland and fastened with a low hoop. The crown is set with close to 5,000 selected Indian diamonds and and number of fine, large white pearls. The crown is also decorated with one of the seven historic stones of the Russia's Diamond Collection - a large precious red spinel weighing 398.72 carats which was brought to Russia by Nicholas Spafary, the Russian envoy to China from 1675 to 1678.

The Cap of Monomakh (above foreground) and the Kazan Cap (above background) were the regalia used by the Princes of Moscovy and the early Czars. The Monomakh Cap was used by Ivan the Terrible when he was crowned Czar in 1498. Ivan III of Moscow and Vladimir claimed his position as successor to the Roman emperors, it was claimed that the cap had been presented by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus to his grandson Vladimir Monomakh, the founder of the city of Vladimir and patrilineal ancestor of Ivan III. The legend served as one of the grounds for the "Moscow as the Third Rome" political theory. Accordingly, the crown became known as "Monomakh's Cap", the term first recorded in a Russian document from 1518. However the fact that Constantine IX Monomachus died 50 years before the coronation of Vladimir Monomakh makes the legend questionable. Several modern scholars believe that the crown was a gift from Uzbeg Khan of the Golden Horde to his brother-in-law, Ivan Kalita of Moscow during the period of the Tatar yoke. Boris Uspensky, in particular, argues that the Tatar headgear was originally used in coronation ceremonies to signify the Muscovite ruler's subordination to the khan. At some point in the 15th or 16th century the crown was surmounted by a cross.

The Kazan Cap is dated by 1553 (above background). It was first mentioned in the treasury of Ivan the Terrible who captured Kazan in October 1552 and annexed the Kazan khanate to the Russian state. The crown may have been executed by Kremlin jewelers to celebrate the successful conquest of this old foe. The crown’s look combines both old Moscovite and eastern artistic traditions.

Thus both the Monomakh and Kazan crowns probably passed on to the Russian Czars from the Tatar khans.

Prior to the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire that was made for Catherine the Great and used to crown all Emperors after her,the Czars were crowned with the crown/cap above which was modled on the earlier Cap of Monomakh. The matching scepter and orb were made in western Europe in the style of the Russian made crown/cap.

__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

Despite my legitimist sympathies, I must confess that the crown of the Empress of the French, Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, is one of my favourite crowns. It's simply beautiful. Interestingly, the Empress herself was a legitimist and an ultramonatist Catholic.

__________________That which concerns the mystery of the King's power is not lawful to be disputed; for that is to wade into the weakness of Princes, and to take away the mystical reverence that belongs unto them that sit in the throne of God. - James VI and I of England, Scotland and Ireland

I'm not sure if this strictly classes as Royal Jewels as such (it's really more of an accessory, looking at some of the examples here), but I have to say, I've always been rather taken by Queen Rania of Jordan's Arabic Scroll tiara, presented very tastefully here.

There's just something about the design that I find very beautiful. It's simple and lacks the abject majesty of some crowns, yet it's also elegant and sublime in its appearance. I think it looks absolutely smashing for it, although I often wonder what the Arabic script actually says.

I can see the picture of Queen Rania's tiara. I must agree with Tolgron that it is quite beautiful- simple, but elegant. Almost sublime.

Ethiomonarchist, perhaps the problem is with your computer or browser.__________________That which concerns the mystery of the King's power is not lawful to be disputed; for that is to wade into the weakness of Princes, and to take away the mystical reverence that belongs unto them that sit in the throne of God. - James VI and I of England, Scotland and Ireland

Crown of WürttembergIn a strange way, this kind of reminds me of a 1970s Winnebago.__________________"With God's help it will never be that a Bohemian king would run from a fight!" - John the Blind(according to an account in the Cronica ecclesiae pragensis Benesii Krabice de Weitmile)

We have previously seen the truly lovely Arabic script tiara of Her Majesty Queen Rania. Here are more photographs of Jordanian tiaras. The first one (above left) is a new one that was made for Queen Rania and is shown being worn by Her Majesty. The second one is the Queen Alia tiara that was made for Queen Alia al Hussein, third wife of the late King Hussein of Jordan who died in a tragic helicopter crash. The tiara is now owned by Queen Alia's daughter Princess Haya, but has occasionally been borrowed by both Queen Noor and Queen Rania. Queen Rania is shown wearing it in the above center photograph, and the late Queen Alia is shown wearing it above right. Below left is a picture of the current owner of the tiara, H.R.H. Princess Haya of Jordan wearing it. Also below, two beautiful tiaras belonging to Her Majesty Queen Noor, widow of King Hussein. The Queen Alia tiara was made by Cartier. I do not know the maker of Queen Rania's two tiara's or Queen Noor's tiaras.__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

This stunning Russian "Kokoshnik" type tiara is known as the Queen Maria of Yugoslavia Tiara, or the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Tiara. The tiara was made by Bolin for Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna (née Princess Ella of Hesse; sister of Empress Alexandra of Russia and wife of Grand Duke Serge). The cabochon emeralds in the tiara had been given to Ella by her mother-in-law, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, and she brought them back to Russia upon her marriage and had this kokoshnik made. In 1908, Ella gave the tiara to her niece (and de facto adopted daughter), Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna -- she was always called Maria Pavlovna "the Younger" to distinguish her from the other Grand DuchessMaria Pavlovna, the one who was the first owner of the Vladimir tiara that we discussed above. Upon the revolution, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger fled to Romania. Due to her financial circumstances she was forced to sell her jewels. King Alexander I of Yugoslavia had arrived in Bucharest to marry Princess Maria (Mignon) of Romania, and he was pursuaded by Queen Marie of Romania to buy the tiara for her daughter. The tiara was a favorite of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, and the pictures above are of the Queen wearing it.

King Alexander was assassinated in 1934, and Queen Maria's young son, Peter II, became king. Peter was deposed during World War II, and the entire family went into exile. They took the tiara into exile with them. After King Peter II married Alexandra of Greece, his wife often borrowed the tiara from her mother-in-law to wear on royal occasions, most notably to the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to the Duke of Edinburgh. Queen Alexandra however often complained that the kokoshnik was unbearably heavy and gave her a headache. In 1953, Queen Maria in turn had to sell the tiara. This time, the buyer was Van Cleef & Arpels. Van Cleef sadly removed the magnificent Romanov emeralds, sold them to an unknown buyer and replaced them with artificial stones. Van Cleef regularly loans it out to various exhibitions, but sadly without the emeralds that made this such an incredible tiara.

__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

Below are the Imperial Crown Jewels of Ethiopia. From left to right are the Crown of Empress Menen, the Imperial Orb, and the Crown of Emperor Haile Selassie. They are shown here at the Jubilee Palace in Addis Ababa where they are on non-public display.

__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

Our latest royal jewels are from the crown jewels collection of Iran (Persia). We have already seen the crown of Empress Farah. The crown above is that of Reza Shah the Great, the first Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty of Iran. The crown was made for his coronation on 25 April 1926. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, also used the crown in his coronation on 26 Oct. 1967.

The crown was designed and built by a group of Iranian jewellers, under the supervision of Haj Serajeddin, a famous jeweller who had been in the employ of the Emir of Bokhara and who had fled the Soviet Union for Iran. The stones were selected from loose stones in the Imperial Iranian (Persian) treasury.

The crown is made of gold, silver, and red velvet. It has a total height of 29.8 cm. and has a width of 19.8 cm. It weighs 2,080 grams. The are 3,380 diamonds employed on the crown, totalling 1,144 cts. The largest is a brilliant-cut yellow diamond of 60 cts. which is located in the center of the front jewel sunburst. There are also 369 perfectly-matching natural pearls in three rows on the crown. Of the 5 emeralds, totalling 200 cts., the largest is approximately 100 cts. The largest sapphire is 20 cts.

The design of the crown incorporates a motif of the Sassanid dynasty, which ruled over the Persian Empire from the 3rd through the 7th centuries AD.

Above is the Imperial water decanter and basin which were used to wash the hands of the Shah and his guests prior to and after meals. According to accounts by 17th and 18th century French and English travellers, the water was usually warm and scented with rosewater. One servant would pour the water over the diner's hands by tilting the decanter, while another servant held the basin beneath his hands to catch the water. The custom was common throughout the country and among all classes, so a basin and water decanter could be found in practically every household. Of course, few would have been as ornate. This particular water decanter and basin were carried by the Shah's entourage, along with his slippers, his sword, mace and staff, his waterpipe and his tobacco humidifier.

The basin is 10.5 cm. high, 29.5 cm. in diameter, and weighs 1870 grams. It is made of solid gold, decorated with enamel and emeralds. The top of the basin is made like a sieve, designed to prevent any water from splashing out. The largest emerald on the basin is 25 cts.

The decanter is 42.5 cm. high and weighs 4224 grams and is also made of solid gold. It is encrusted with emeralds, rubies, pearls, and spinels. The largest ruby (which is not visible in the picture) is 22 cts. and the largest emerald is 30 cts.

There are three thrones located in Tehran. The Sun Throne (also known as the Peacock Throne) and the Marble Throne both consist of a large, raised platform upon which the King would kneel. The third throne, pictured above left, is known as the Naderi throne. Chair-like thrones like this were used in ancient Iran by Achaemenid dynasty in the 5th century BC, as well as the 17th century Safavid dynasty. Historians believe that Nader Shah, upon returning from his campaigns in India in 1739, brought nine jewelled thrones in addition to the Mughol Peacock Throne to Iran. It is further reported by Malcom (History of Persia, vol. II, p.37) that Nader Shah was so fond of the famous Peacock Throne that he had an exact duplicate made, using other gems from the treasury. However, today there is no trace of any of these thrones, and historians unanimously agree that they were destroyed after the death of Nader Shah in 1747. The Naderi throne seen above can be taken apart into 12 separate sections. It was intended to be portable, to be carried along when the King moved to his summer residences. The throne is constructed of wood, covered with gold, and encrusted with jewels. The history of this throne is not well known. Even its name is confusing. This particular throne has verses written on it which attribute it to Fathali Shah. Diaries written by travellers who visited Fathali Shah's court at the time also mention a throne such as this one, though the throne may have been refurbished by Nasseridin Shah. So why is it called the Naderi throne if it is not related to Nader Shah? The answer is the the term "Nader" also means "rare" or "unique" in the Persian language. Thus, this isn't Nader's Throne, rather the name refers to the fact that the throne is unique or rare. The height of the throne is approximately 225 cm. Among the 26,733 jewels covering the throne, there are four very large spinels on the backrest, the largest of which is 65 cts.; there are also four very large emeralds on the backrest too, the largest of which is approximately 225 cts. The largest ruby on the throne is 35 cts.

Above to the right is the magnificent imperial globe. The globe has a total height of 110 cm. and a diameter of 45 cm. and is covered with over 51 thousand gemstones. The seas and oceans are shown with emeralds. Land masses are mostly displayed in rubies and spinels. Iran, Britain, France, and parts of South Asia are shown in diamonds. The base is constructed of wood, covered with a layer of gold. Approximately 35 kilograms of pure gold is used in the globe. According to legend, Nasseridin Shah (1848-1896) ordered the construction of the globe to help keep track of the loose gemstones in the treasury. The largest ruby used in the globe is approximately 75 ct. The largest spinel is approximately 110 cts. The largest emerald is approximately 175 cts., the largest sapphire is approximately 34 cts, and the largest diamond is approximately 15 cts.

__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

No account of crown jewels collections would be complete without mention of the magnificent crown jewels of the Kingdom of Bavaria, now on display in the Residenz (Royal Palace) in Munich. The collection is a huge one, but here is a list of my favorite items from this collection.

The Royal Crown, Orb, Scepter, Sword and Girdle of the Kings of Bavaria

In 1806, Napoleon I, in his reordering of the European map, decided to elevate the Duke-Elector of Bavaria to a full fledged King. The new King of Bavaria, Maximillian I, decided to have a crown, scepter, orb, and sword made for him by the Parisian jeweler Biennais, in the contemporary French Empire style, but inspired by the old Bourbon crown of Louis XV. The Royal Crown of Bavaria is set with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and pearls. The Wittelsbach Diamond was removed from the orb at the top of the crown and sold in 1931 by the Wittelsbach family.

The Crown of the Queen of Bavaria

The crown of the Queen of Bavaria was made by Biennais at the same time, and is set with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and a set of truly magnificent pearls, for Queen Caroline of Bavaria (born a Princess of Baden).

The medieval era "English Queen's" Crown of Bavaria

The beautiful crown known as the "English Queen's Crown" or "Palatine Crown" is recorded in English records in a list of jewels and plate drawn up in 1399. It probably belonged to King Edward III or Anne of Bohemia, the wife of King Richard II, who was deposed that year by Henry IV. Henry's daughter, Princess Blanche, married the Palatine Elector Ludwig III in 1402 and the crown passed to the Palatine Treasury in Heidelberg as part of her dowry. In 1782 it was transferred to the Munich Treasury along with other jewels belonging to the Palatine branch of the Wittelsbach family when Maximillian of Wittlesbach succeeded as the Duke-Elector of Bavaria when the local Wittlesbach line ended. This is the oldest surviving crown of English origin.

The State Ruby Parure of the Queen of Bavaria

This magnificent parure of diamond and ruby jewelery was made in 1830 for Queen Therese of Bavaria (born a Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen). This impressive parure which includes a towering tiara, two cuff style bracelets, and a stunning pair of earings and necklace were designed to make a huge impression. Indeed the tiara is more imposing than the queen's crown. However, by all accounts the weight of the tiara apparently made it very uncomfortable to wear, and it seems the Queens of Bavaria were not eager to wear it. Queen Therese for whom this parure was made was often mentioned as a possible bride for Napoleon, but married the then Crown Prince of Bavaria, Ludwig, instead in 1810. Their wedding celebration marked the first Octoberfest that is held every year now in Bavaria. Ludwig I and Therese became King and Queen of Bavaria in 1825.

__________________The Lion of Judah hath prevailed.

Ethiopia stretches her hands unto God (Quote from Psalm 68 which served as the Imperial Motto of the Ethiopian Empire)

"God and history shall remember your judgment." (Quote from Emperor Haile Selassie I's speech to the League of Nations to plead for assistance against the Italian Invasion, 1936.)

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